The Sopranos

Well, Walt certainly had his chance, didn’t he? Yes, he could have done away with Jesse during that little desert get-together in last week’s episode. Out in the middle of nowhere. … No witnesses. … It could have been a clean kill.

Instead, they hugged it out (sort of) and Walt sent Jesse on his merry way to Alaska. Only that didn’t work out so well, and now Walt has a major problem on his hands: Can he get to Jesse before Jesse gets to him?

In today’s papers, I run down my choices for the top television shows of the decade. But first, let’s discuss what’s NOT on the list: “Gilmore Girls,” “Six Feet Under,” “True Blood,” “Damages,” “24” …

Hey, they’re all good shows, but not good enough to make my list. And that should tell you something about the level of television quality that we saw over the past 10 years. It was a decade, after all, that gave us “The Sopranos,” “Lost,” “The Wire,” “American Idol,” “Survivor,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Freaks and Geeks” and many more.

To see how we ranked ’em, click here. Also, please note that at noon on Monday (PST), we will be conducting a live chat to discuss the decade’s top shows and give you a chance to add your two cents. Please join us for all or part of the hour. For more info on the live chat, click here.

Yes, it’s that time again. Time to sift through all the prime-time programming of the past 10 years and determine the best TV shows of the decade.

It’s a tough task — and one fraught with controversy. I know that, when we publish our Top 20 shows of the ’00s Sunday morning, many of you will take exception to some of the picks. (What, no “Gilmore Girls”!)

That’s why we’ll be holding a live chat at noon (PST) on Monday. It’s a chance for your to weigh in, voice your opinions and tell us what we missed.

I hope you will join me and assistant features editor Ardua Harris on Monday. For more info on the live chat, click here.

These days, whenever you open a newspaper, you get smacked with a great big misery pie in the face. Layoffs. Foreclosures. Wall Street meltdowns. The Oakland Raiders. On and on it goes.

And turning to television doesn’t often ease the gloom. The season so far has been a clunker. Ratings are down and viewer unrest is rampant. Meanwhile, quality shows such as “Pushing Daisies” get killed off, while dopey debacles like “Knight Rider” inexplicably live on. Bah, humbug.

But why continue to dwell on failure and mediocrity? After all, the holiday season is upon us â€” a time for comfort and joy. And so we’ve decided to put the depress-o-rama temporarily on hold and devote this post to nothing but positive vibes.

Here, then, are some reasons to smile and to hope â€” some reasons why we continue to love TV:

— The good guys still prevail. And in difficult times, that’s apparently what we want to see. Thus, while other networks struggle, CBS is thriving with its “comfort-food” menu of basic procedural cop shows both old (the “CSI” franchise) and new (“The Mentalist”).

— HBO has put the complete seasons of “The Sopranos,” “Deadwood” and “The Wire” out on DVD in snazzy sets with plenty of extras. These shows represent some of the best television ever â€” and, yes, they would look great under the tree.

— The value of sitcoms may be plunging faster than the stock market, but “The Big Bang Theory” is proof that the genre still has plenty of pop in it.

— Aussie actor John Noble continues to make Walter Bishop, his loopy-yet-creepy mad scientist on “Fringe,” one of the most entertaining new characters of the season.

No argument at all with “Lost.” I was absolutely blown away by that pilot, which lavished a big-screen, event-like feel to a TV show. But now the nit-picking:

“30 Rock”? Please. I love this show. But if I recall correctly, it did not get off to a flying start. There was potential in that first episode, but they weren’t there yet. I’d toss it out in favor of “Arrested Development” or even “Bernie Mac.”

I’d also argue for the inclusion “The West Wing” somewhere in here. And, in my opinion, any such list that doesn’t include “Freaks and Geeks” is totally bogus. I still remember watching that pilot in the first year I became a TV critic and thinking, “Wow, if every show I see comes close to this one, this is going to be a glorious job.”

They’ve started without me at the annual TV critics summer press tour in Beverly Hills, where I will arrive fashionably late this weekend. But I’m monitoring the situation and just wanted to tell you that they’re planning another “Sex and the City” big-screen film

Yes, the first one is doing so well in the theaters this summer, that it looks like we’ll have at least one more fling with Carrie and company — whether we want to or not.

“There is enormous interest by Warner Bros./New Line to do another ‘Sex and the City.’ And I think, in fact, they’re trying with our help to put that together now,” Michael Lombardo, president of HBO’s programming group and West Coast operations, told critics. “When that happens, how long between, I can’t say. But there’s absolute interest. I think everybody associated with that project was really heartened by the enthusiasm from fans and by the new fans to the show.”

In some ways, I find this a little disappointing, and I believe the filmmakers might be overreaching here. Since the show ended a few years ago, fans have had an enormous amount of pent-up enthusiasm to bond again with “Sex”‘s fab four. And that enthusiasm resulted in a huge opening week for the film.

But now that we’re all caught up, what’s next? Is there really an engaging story to tell without it feeling manipulative and contrived? And will the enthusiasm even remotely approach the same levels? I don’t think so, but I could be wrong.

Meanwhile, the success of the “Sex” film has fueled more speculation of a “Sopranos” big-screen movie.

“It’s obviously totally up to (creator David Chase),” HBO co-president Richard Plepler said. “I spoke to him recently. He’s in France on vacation. But if David wants to do it, we’d be delighted to explore that, absolutely.”

As for that long-promised “Deadwood” movie? Time to let it go, people. Creator David Milch has moved on to a pilot for HBO called “Last of the Ninth” about the New York Police Department in the 1970s.

Do you get the feeling that there are some people in Hollywood — particularly actors — who are secretly celebrating the fact that “The Sopranos” has ended its run? After all, they probablyÂ figure that they now might have a better shot at some awards-show hardware.

“The Sopranos” dominated the television portion of the 14th Screen Actors Guild Awards last night as James Gandolfini and Edie Falco won for Best Actor and Actress in a drama, and the “Sopranos” cast captured the prize for top ensemble in a drama.

It was the fourth win for that awards-hog Gandolfini and the third for Falco.Â I was surprised to hear, though, that the ensemble victory was only the second for the “Sopranos” gang. Tell me, who was better than that bunch? Continue Reading →